THE APOSTLE PAUL WROTE, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God” (1 Cor. 2:1, KJV; “excellency”—Strong’s #5247). The NIV uses “...eloquence or superior wisdom...” The content of Paul’s preaching was not according to the latest human “wisdom,” either in the world or the Church. He never used fancy or tickling words or statements to “dazzle” his audience. He never used eloquent phrases to make men stand in awe at his education. He was very different than some, even many, too many preachers, teachers and educators of today. Putting sweet icing on a Gospel cake was not his style,—nor was it Jesus’ style—nor should it be our style.

Pressing the Point

IN TODAY’S preaching the messenger makes his/her sermons palatable to both saints and sinners, but this can cause the hearers or readers to miss the point of a sermon. Eloquent and flattering sermons can mislead, even damn, unless they are rooted and grounded in the central truth of the Bible and empowered by the Holy Ghost.

     Bad and Spiritless sermons do not glorify Christ either.

Men/Women Pleasers

THERE IS no doubt that many preach/teach to be approved of men, desiring their applause. But a true messenger of Christ should desire the fruits of their preaching/teaching in their listeners lives, “not their acclamation.”

     I do realize that most ministers today have been either influenced by or directly trained in the schools and universities of rhetoric. Seminaries (Cemeteries) produce thousands of such persons—trained in rhetorical methods. Even worse, these schools deny many cardinal doctrines of God’s Word and are pro-homosexual and liberal in many ways.

     Instead of Holy-Ghost-inspired ministers delivering CUTTING and BURNING sermons, we have “nice homilies,” “discourses,” “disputations,” and “fair speeches”—all SWORDLESS and FIRELESS. All this artificiality pleases the human side of man and starves the Christ side of man.

     Paul could teach, instruct, even correct as well as preach. He says in 1 Corinthians 2:4, “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power.” “Oh, for more Pauls!” So many ministers are more like CEOs than Spirit-filled Christians.

     Sermons without mentioning the “sin issue” are not Spirit-led. Paul’s preaching included the Holy Spirit’s convicting people of sin, righteousness and judgment. He also bore witness to the saving power of the risen Christ. He taught with conviction the power of God to transform lives . . . “by effectuating the idea of holiness and righteousness in the believer.” He was not just a “sermoner” but he demonstrated the power of God by healing the sick and casting out devils. Does your minister do these things? Why, most ministers are so afraid of the supernatural, that they teach “it is of the devil.” And they couldn’t discern a demon if it bit them on the butt. But come offering time—in steps Mr./Mrs. Professional.

Preaching and Power

THESE TWO should always be together—not just preaching a “powerful” sermon, but demonstrating the power of God over demon forces. (You might want to look up 1 Cor. 4:20, Mark 16:17-18, Luke 10:19, Acts 28:3-6, Romans 15:19, 1 Thes. 1:5 & Heb. 2:4.)

Long-winded Wimps!

I’VE SAT and listened to long-winded wimps, called preachers, expounding on controversial issues, taking one step forward and four backward . . . holding their audience spellbound for hours. Such men are literally scared half-to-death to make points that would offend the audience. They usually get well-applauded for their compromising stand. Friends, we’re not to preach for popularity, for favor or frown. We do it for the Lord’s sake.

     “Seeker-friendly” and “seeker sensitive” churches today preach to be seen and heard of men, not to touch the heart: men-pleasing speeches and sermons, designed to entertain—sermons that will “delight your ears with their intonation and the structure of their delightful phrases”—as if you were listening to singers and musicians.

Gospel’s Intent

ALL MINISTERS should preach Christ: His reason for dying, His crucifixion, His resurrection and ascension, plus His glorification. Teaching to the saints should be pointed and demonstrated with power. We should see that the sinner is Biblically saved by the Blood of Jesus, baptized in water (full immersion), filled with the Holy Ghost and taught to become fruitful in their personal lives . . . without compromise.

     Also, we need to present a high and holy standard of personal conduct, which is certainly missing today in modern Churchianity! New converts, for the most part, are never taught any sort of dress code or to change outwardly, let alone inwardly. Let’s face it, the modern Church has become a social club whereby the members pay their dues to a person called “pastor” (who can usually be fired if the people desire it so).

Politics and Religion

THEN WE have these political churches which are more concerned with the world than the Kingdom of God. Paul goes on in verse 6 of 1 Corinthians 2, “We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age, or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing” (NIV). It is astounding how much the contemporary Church has taken in the spirit of this age: New Age philosophers, political pluralism, political correctness—these alone have damned the Church. This is another subject altogether.

Pew Pleasers

PREACHERS IN this generation have become full-blown pew pleasers, humoring the people’s fancies instead of trying to crush them! Saint Jude pretty well describes certain “men of God” who had slipped into, or rather, slithered in like a serpent into the assemblies among the believers. These men were full of the devil—JUST LIKE THEIR COUNTERPARTS TODAY! We see and hear of them everywhere. Read the Epistle of Jude.

     Have not these perverts called “ministers” turned the grace of our God into a license for immorality? . . . allowing and even promoting believers to indulge in both black, “grey” and “white” sins? The whole New Age and homosexual movements have set up camp in these glorified whorehouses called churches. Some may preach pardon for sin, but not the “imperative of holiness.” Jude calls these men in question, the “twice dead” (literally “twice having died”!).

     To add insult to injury, these “strutting studs” and “dazzling darlings” make millions of dollars off the Gospel (so-called). They tickle the sinning saints’ fannies with fair speeches mixed with politics/religion/money/sex and the like.

Making the Sick Sicker!

THESE SNAKES act like mothers and fathers who give a sick child a bowl of cake and ice-cream, something fun and tasty to eat—just because the child asks for it—and take no pains to give the child what is good and heathy for him or her to help make the child better. And then, when the doctors blame the parent or parents, these irresponsible fools say, “I could not bear to hear my child cry.” Whole denominations are run by such parenting. Other shysters are mere pimps who push their whorish congregations out into the highways and byways—to bring in the money, honey! Then we have these “dandies” and “fancies” who speak great swelling words to their “beautiful people,” beautiful and elaborate speeches and mini sermons, “fine combinations and harmonies to please and to profit” ($$$), to be admired and not to administer godly food and drink to starving souls.

Self-Esteem Dream

THE BIBLE calls these ones “filthy dreamers.” Second Timothy 3:2 speaks of “lovers of their own selves . . . boasters, proud . . .” Men and women who are lovers of their own selves, feed on praise and flattery. Not only do they love the praise and flattery from others but they flatter others in order to reap the same. Proverbs 7:10-21 is a pretty good description of this class of preachers. The Bible describes “an harlot...with her much fair speech she caused him (the seeker of experience) to yield, with flattering of her lips.” Many a soul has been sucked out by harlot ministries: such ministries are in every town and city.

     One author writes, “There is a heated debate today in the Church over the topic of self-esteem. Behind some pulpits pasture proponents of an ego matched only by the 10 foot tall giant Goliath, clad in amour-prope (self-love). Other sermons sell a 7 foot Saul-sized self-assurance . . . all claim the Bible as the basis of their beliefs.”

     Take note of the supporter of self-esteem: “Our attempt to defend self-esteem as a viable Christian belief is not an attempt to compromise the Biblical data in order to pacify Christian psychologists. Rather, it is an earnest effort to be fair to all that the Bible says about ourselves. There are many verses that affirm man’s intrinsic value and how he ought to love himself . . . Scripture maintains that man is neither completely good nor entirely evil” (The Infiltration of the New Age, pp. 58-59).

     Dear ones, one can casually read the Bible and see that fallen man is Hellbound and the believer must struggle against the flesh (carnality). The Bible clearly states that Christians MUST DIE TO SELF, not prop it up and feed it. But this is how backslid the Church has become. Unfortunately, some Bible translations of today seem to support such ramblings of self-esteem proponents. Some versions provide the self-lovers, thru a bad translation of the Greek, certain “evidence” for what the Greek actually denies.

     This Robert Schuller type of “self-esteem” junk came from ancient Greek mythology. Hermes was the great original prophet of idolatry (found in Hislop’s The Two Babylons, p. 25). The New Ager, Robert Schuller, tells us, “Do not fear pride . . . God’s almost impossible task is to keep us believing every hour of the day how great we are” [Robert Schuller, Self-Esteem: The New Reformation (Word, 1982), pp. 57, 74, et al., as cited in Beyond Seduction). This not nothing but sheer BLASPHEMY and FALSE TEACHING. Yet we have millions who believe this CRAP!

     The Bible plainly tells us not to have confidence in the flesh. Look up all this for yourselves!

     Truly, this age of Churchianity is obsessed with “self-empowerment,” yet we’ve never had such a weak, whorish and wimpish Church—a Stinking Rotting Corpse. The Scriptures ask, “Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” And are we to completely overlook Galatians chapter 5? How can these perverters of truth get around such pointed truth? (Read 1 Tim. 2:15; Acts 24:25; 1 Cor. 7:5, 9:25; Gal. 5:23; 2 Tim. 3:3; and 2 Pet. 1:3.) The Greek words akrates, egkrateia and sophrosune, as one writer declares, in no sense “stir the spattering of the word ‘self’ which spots” so many new twisted Bible version pages.

     Thee is no doubt that many new Bible versions underwrite God’s indictment against SELF. Who is motivating all this? Religious demons, of course. And what of all these wayfarers traveling upon “deceivers’ highway”? There can be one and ONE only destination—HELLFIRE!

     “But General Jim, isn’t this just too extreme?” Read the Word for yourselves.

Love that Teaching!

SURE YA do. It feeds the carnal man! False teachers and preachers and prophets do this to receive applause in their ears and a pat on the back (maybe butt!) and be blessed with lots of $$$. But Bible Truth kills the applauding . . . the praises . . . the good offerings.

Death of Christ = Big Business

YES! BILLIONS have been made off the death of Christ: BILLIONS with a capital “B.” Princes and princesses fare well in their palaces of ministry. Just watch these televangelists for yourselves: the name of the game is MONEY. These money-hungry guys and gals try their best to STOP malicious and chattering tongues (like mine).

     We live in a generation when “masters of fine speeches and beautiful phrases” have value—although they lack TRUTH. But who really cares for truth? And we have plenty of spiritual giants and geniuses to cultivate and reap a great harvest.

     To purchase fame and fortune at the price of reality is insanity: The INSANITY of humanity is KILLING the Church! Living in an unreal world is really stupid. If you are trapped in this kind of thing, FLEE Babylon now! Renounce its costly pursuits. Even if you have grown accustomed to the “sickness of religion,” if this message I’m giving you “strikes home,” it is never too late to FLEE Babylon. The hope of the Body of Christ is to CAST OFF and CAST OUT demonic blood-sucking demons: to rid itself of what is artificial; to embrace what is genuine. Pray for real preachers and prophets to come forth with swords that CUT and fire that BURNS . . . who will speak, preach and teach ONLY “as the Holy Spirit gives them utterance.” Amen.

[Study material for this article was adapted from its original sources.]

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